• Science Education • Afterschool • Diversity • Research-Practice Partnership • Design-Based Research

To learn more about my dissertation research, visit SuperScienceSquad.com

David Liu is currently a doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, with a concentration in Learning, Teaching, Cognition, and Development. His research interests are in STEM engagement, afterschool programs, and diversity.

David’s research focuses on 1) how to support young girls of color, particularly Latinas, in their STEM engagement and 2) how to design afterschool STEM programs that leverage the rich cultural resources of Latinas for meaningful STEM engagement. To build on his work, David critically explores how to collaborate with educators to design and improve science learning environments that leverage children’s interests and experiences. The aim of his research is to challenge deficit perspectives of low income and diverse youth and their communities.

David is currently engaged in a design based research project, based in a research practice partnership, to understand how to design afterschool programs that connect home, school, and community resources. David and his team design, plan, and implement weekly science afterschool programs and monthly family science nights at a local school. The aim of the project is to support students to position themselves as active science learners and to use science to improve their communities. For more information: SuperScienceSquad.com

David graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Public Health and a minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine. After graduation, he spent a year in AmeriCorps State program in a children’s museum conducting a research study on how children develop scientific thinking skills and understand their own learning processes. Along with being a research assistant, David taught in the museum’s after school K-5 STEM program.